Crankcase breather



Jan. 16, 1940. w. 1.. CARLSON 2,187,264

CRANKCASE BREATHER Filed Dec. 16, 1937 awe/when a L: Ckf/JOl? Y Sum PatentedJan.'16,1 940 v I i UNlTED v S'TAT'ES PATE NIT OFFICE it 1 64 CRANKCASE BBIEATHERI, I

t f Wilbur L. CarlsomRochester, N. Y., assignor tofl General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., I a corporation of Delaware I y 1 Application December 16,1937, Serial No. 180,115

I I 7'Claims, (Cl.121-194) This invention relates :to a new and improved The casingmember l o, which is outside of the I crankcase breather for internal combustion encrankcase :whenthe breather unitis associated I gines which is adapted to relieve the compression with the engine as shown in Figure '1, is also gen- I in the crankcase and prevent the escape. of oil erally cup-shaped and is initially formed with an a therefrom. n n l t y 1 offset flange H at its open end as shown in Fi ure I It is an object of the invention to provide a 3 which is adapted tobe crimped or spun over the breather construction which will vent the crank flange M of the casing member S as shown in Fig? case to the atmosphere, prevent dirt, dust or l ure 2 during assembly of the breather unit. This other foreign matter from entering the crankcasing member It is provided with a peripheral 10 case,and alsoseparate anyioil from the crankcase slot I8 which'i's formed with the outwardly curved Q gases passing through .thebreather andwreturn wall portion IS in the nature of a'louver.

this oil to the crankcase; i I it The similarly formed bafile members ll and lz It is a further object to provide a breather are each generally bell-shaped andeach flared Which is simple in construction and eflicient in outwardlyat its open end andprovided with a operation, and other objects and advantages of central opening 20 in its closed end. The baflie this invention will appear from the "following deplate It is a fiat circularxplate with a central scription taken in connection with the;accm-' openin D the Same Size as the p s 9 in panying drawingshowing'oneeinbodlment there- 1 members H and I2, and a relatively small hole 22 of. t t is provided in the plate [3 adjacent its edge for a I 3 In the drawing: p 5 l purpose to be later set forth. I Figure lisa fragmentalverticalcsection of an The baffle members II and [2 are preferably internal combustion enginewiththe breather of each formed initially withseveral spaced projecthe present invention. l tions 23 around the central opening as shown Figure2 is a vertical sectionof the breatheras-: in Figure 3 whereby these members may be readsembly.

Figure 3 is avertical section,partly in elevation, filter element, which may consist of a generally of the several elements ofxthe breatherassembly cylindricalmass of copper mesh or other suitable how in spacedrelation. 3 i k 1*; i pervious material 24, is adapted to be located Referring first to Figure lpthe breather; indiaround the outside of the bafile member l2, and Q cated generally at I, is shown in connection with the entire unitmay be then assembled by. placan air cooled engine 2 of the general type used in ing the circular edge ofthe plate 1.3 within the small electric generating plants, although it will offset flange ll on the casing member l0 and be understood that this breather may be used clamping the flange I4 of thecasing member 9 with any internal combustion engine of ;convenin engagement with the opposite side of the plate tional form. Inthe present showingfthe engine l3 by crimping orspinning the edge of the flange 5 2 has the usual cylinder 3, piston 4, connecting ll over this flange I4 to thereby complete the rod 5, crankshaft \6, and crankcase l, andthe breather assembly as. shown in Figure 2. t crankcase l is provided with an opening 8 to re- Before describing the operation of the breather Geive the breather l. l l I I I it should be noted that the parts are so positioned Except for the filter element, the breather I is when assembled in the above manner that the slot 40 constituted entirely by sheet metal partswhich 18 may be placed at the upper side of the unit may be readily formed and assembled'with the when mounted in the opening 8 in the engine filter element as a complete unit asris clearly crankcase and the small holes 16 and 22 will be shown in Figures 2 and 3 and as will now be dethen located at the bottom of the unit. It should r l do scribed. These metal parts consist of the two casalso be noted thatthe relative size of the several ing members 9 and III, the similarly formed baflie partsis preferably such that the flared open ends members H and I 2, and the baffle plate l3. of the baflle members H and I2 are spaced only a The casing member 9, which as shown in Figslight distance from the closed ends of the casing 'ure 1 is adapted to extend into the crankcase 1 members 9 and II), respectively. I I 54) when the breather unit is associated with the r In the present appli 0f theinvention, th engine, is generallycup-shaped with an outwardcrank pin bearing and crankshaft bearing are ly extending flange 14 at its open enchand is proadapted to be lubricated by a splash system and vided with a series of openings IS in its peripherthehollow connecting rod 5 is provided with an al wall and also with a relatively small hole'lfi. I extension to splash the oil in the crankcase and for a function to be hereafter described, also to feed some of this oil through the connect- 5 ily welded to opposite sides of the plate 13. The

ing rod to the piston pin bearing, and it is preferable to provide a horizontal bafile plate or wall 251 baffle member ll through the narrow space between the flared end of this member and the closed end of the casing member 9, then pass through the baille members ll and I2 and into the casing member ID through the narrow space be tween the flared end of the bafile member 12 and.

the closed end of the casing member Ill, and finally reach the atmosphere-by passing through the filter material 24 and out through the slot I8.

During this movement of the crankcase gases and vapors to the atmosphere it will also be apparent that the relatively small amount of oil which may be present in these vapors will either condense on or in the bafile members H and ["2 and drop off of the flaredopen ends thereof or be separated from the vapors by the filter material 24. Any oil which'may then collect in the bottom of the casing member Ill 'may pass through the hole 22 in the bafile wall [3 into the bottom of the casing member 9 and together with any oil which has collected therein, drain back into the crankcase through the hole I6. It will also be evident that any air which enters the crankcase through the breather will have to pass through the filter material 24 which may be moistened to some extent by the oil inthe crankcase vapors and which will prevent dirt, dust or other foreign matter from entering the crankcase. V V

Only a single, specific embodiment of the invention has been'herein shown and described, but it will be understood that the'invention isnot to be strictly limited thereto and various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claims. I

I claim:

1.In aninternal combustion engine provided with a crankcase, a breather unit adapted to be mounted directly within an opening in the crankcase, including a casing having a substantially cylindrical portion extending into the crankcase with peripheral openings in said portion to place the interior of said casing in communication with said crankcase, and having a portion extending outside of said crankcase with an opening to the atmosphere, and means 'within said casing to baflie and filter the crankcase vapors passing through said casing from said crankcase to the atmosphere.

2. In a crankcase breather, a substantially cylindrical casing provided with closed end walls and peripheral openings adjacent opposite ends thereof adapted to communicate, respectively, with a crankcase and the atmosphere, and a bellshaped baflle member in said casing having a flared opening closely adjacent one of said closed end walls and a central opening for the passage of crankcase vapors from the crankcase to the atmosphere.

3. In a crankcase breather, a substantially cylindrical casing provided with closed end walls and peripheral openings adjacent opposite ends thereof adapted to communicate, respectively, with a crankcase and the atmosphere, a baflie wall intermediate the ends of said casing, a bellshaped bafile member on each side of said bafile wall with :the open end of each baflle member adjacent an end'wall of said casing, and said bafiie wall and members being provided with aligned central openings to permit the passage of crankcase vapors from the crankcase to the atmosphere.

4. The elements set forth in claim 3 in which said bafiie wall is, provided with a further opening adjacent the bottom of said casing and said casing is provided with abottom drain hole adjacent the end thereof which communicates with the crankcase to permit the return of oil to the crankcase.

' 5, Theelements set forth in claim 3, with filter material in thencasing around one of said bellshaped bafile members.

6. In an internal combustion engine provided with a'crankcase, a breather unit adapted to be mounted directly within an opening in the crankcase and having a portion extending into the crankcase and provided with an opening communicating therewith, and a horizontally arranged baflle wall in said crankcase beneath the opening in said breather unit to prevent the splashing of oil into said breather unit.

7. In a crankcase breather, a substantially cylindrical casing provided with end walls and adapted to communicate with a crankcase adjacent one end of said casing and with the atmosphere adjacent the other end of said casing, and a' bafllemember in said casing with an opening therethrough and extending closely adjacent to one of the end walls of said casing to form therewith a relatively restricted passage for the crankcase vapors through said casing.

WILBUR L. CARLSON. 

